Phoenix,
Ariz: Nearly 200 assisted living
professionals attended today’s National Center for Assisted Living’s (NCAL)
seventh annual NCAL Day in Phoenix, Ariz. where experts gave presentations that
advance current best practices in the delivery of high quality care to assisted
living residents.

“NCAL Day provides the latest knowledge and tangible
tools that support our members’ efforts to reach and exceed their Quality
Initiative for Assisted Living goals,” says NCAL Executive Director David
Kyllo.

The opening speaker, Matt Long inspired the audience
through his discussion about his physical recovery after being hit by a 20-ton bus
in New York City and being told by physicians he wouldn’t walk without a cane.
Long surpassed that expectation by running the New York City marathon in 2008
and created a non-profit that helps individuals with injuries.

The keynote was a great
launch for the assisted living professionals in attendance who learned about
innovative quality methods from expert presenters on two different education
tracks: quality in leadership and quality toolkit. On the toolkit track, sessions
such as, “Introduction to INTERACT for Assisted
Living” and “Measuring Resident Satisfaction” were explained. On the leadership
track, participants heard about “Strategic Applications of Emotional
Intelligence for Senior Living Leaders” or “Effective Partnerships between ACOs
and Assisted Living.”

NCAL honored the 2013 winners of the NCAL Awards Program for
their outstanding service and care to residents by presenting awards for: NCAL
Administrator of the Year; NCAL Nurse of the Year; NCAL Noble Caregiver of the
Year and NCAL National Assisted Living Week® Programming Award.

Keynote speaker Jim Nance hit the right closing notes.
One of the founders of the National Patient Safety organization, and former ABC
News aviation analyst, Nance talked about how to transform healthcare delivery into an effective and safe system of
prevention and wellness.

“NCAL Day’s
focus on delivering quality is another example of the organization’s commitment
to providing cutting edge knowledge that helps deliver solutions for quality
care,” said Kyllo.